Ascension of the Believer | In the Light of the Prophet (PBUH)’s Ascension
The Holy Prophet’s Ascension holds special significance and attraction for every lover of the Prophet and seeker of Allah. All scholars and Sufis have described it in their own style. Some describe the physical circumstances of the Ascension in light of Quran and Hadith. Others describe the spiritual meanings and realities of the Ascension. Therefore, everyone understands and describes the Ascension according to their own spiritual level. Everyone agrees that the Ascension is so mysterious and comprehensive that words are not sufficient to truly describe the Prophet’s physical journey, or the circumstances of his spiritual closeness and reunion. This is the infinite union of lover and Beloved, which those with limited intellect and Divine closeness can never describe. No one has or will attain the Divine closeness and union the Prophet attained during the Ascension, fully awake.
Ascension in Arabic is Miraj (معراج). Miraj comes from the Arabic word Araj (عَرَجَ) which means to ascend or elevate. The meaning of Miraj is a place of elevation or height, a ladder, a staircase. Miraj is the journey of the Holy Prophet in which he ascended to Allah, transcending the universe’s limits. He reached the heights of the heavens, attaining a level of Divine closeness no one has or will attain.
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes in his book
ar-Risala tul-Ghausia:
I saw Allah, so I asked him about Miraj. He said to me “O Ghawth al-Azam! Miraj is to rise above everything except Me and the perfection of Miraj is to become the embodiment of ‘His eye neither inclined aside nor overstepped the limit. (53:17)’”
Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani saying “I saw Allah” shows his ascension. He discovered what ascension truly is while talking to Allah. Then Allah said “Miraj is to rise above everything except Me”. ‘Everything’ includes the physical realm, the angelic realm, the realm of power, every material thing and relationship. This includes the human being himself. So, man should rise above himself, be free from worries and sorrows, and cut off pleasures and desires. Then he should rise above relationships and interests, meaning he should be free from their love. Rise above the physical world’s limits and reach the angelic realm. And then give no care to the angelic realm, reach the realm of power then finally reach its ends. However, this journey and cutting off relations happens spiritually, not physically.
The Holy Prophet’s Journey
Only the Holy Prophet has the honour to ascend to Allah physically. No one had this honour before him or will have it after him.
The Holy Prophet ascended with his body and Buraq (a flying, lightning-fast steed) was his ride.
Ibn Arabi says in his book Shajra-tul-Koon:
The Holy Prophet asked, ‘Is this for me?’ when he saw Buraq. Jibrail answered, ‘Lovers ride it, because they reach Allah’s holy sanctuary with the speed of lightning’. The Holy Prophet said what need do I have of a ride? A ride is a means of reaching the destination. This is for people who need means to reach Divine closeness. My essence is those people’s means of reaching Divine closeness but me and my Lord do not need any means. My closeness is so great and perfect that if I were to put anything between me and my Lord, there would be an intense desire to see Him without any veil, desire to converse with Him directly, firm intention to annihilate myself in His presence and to attain Him completely.
The night’s darkness would be proof that in moments of union with my Beloved, there is no room for interference. I do not need a third. My Lord will guide me Himself. I will use these things in my efforts to reach Him. They will show me the way by connecting to my essence. Just as Allah perfected me, He also perfected everything related to me. Be it my love, will, desires, or reasoning—what significance does Buraq hold before their speed? How could it possibly bear the weight of the one who carries the Divine trust, which the earth, heavens, and mountains refused to bear on the first day, and whose heart holds countless treasures of Allah’s secrets?
Furthermore:
O Jibrail! How could you or your ride take me to my destination when you yourself can only reach the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary whereas my destination is the infinite Divine closeness? Your extreme is the realm of power whereas my destination is Divine oneness in the realm of divinity. What comparison exists between you and me, when my connection with my Lord allows no space for any creation? Where there is only Divine light, creation cannot enter. My Lord’s glory is “Nothing compares to Him” and I am His manifestation, then how can something compare to me as I contain nothing but Him. How could you compare to me! One needs a mount to cover distances. My Lord is always with me, within my being, my soul, and my every moment. Those who tread unknown paths need guides to show the way.
Such things exist in the physical world, but my Lord is beyond them. One cannot attain Divine closeness through the physical body and one cannot describe the path to His closeness through directions. These are the mysteries of the inner self. Only those who understand the true path of the soul realize that the guide of this path is the very destination itself, and is closer than the jugular vein.
The Holy Prophet accepted Buraq
The Holy Prophet rode Buraq and reached Jerusalem for the happiness of Jibrail and Buraq, and to honor and accept the mount sent by Allah. Hence, he completed the first part of the journey in the physical realm with a physical body. He travelled from Jerusalem to the first heaven meaning from the highest point in the physical realm to the beginning of the angelic realm with the bestial soul. And from the first heaven to the seventh heaven, meaning from the beginning of angelic realm to the end where the realm of power begins, he travelled with the celestial soul. Then till the end of the realm of power meaning till the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary he travelled with the kingly soul.
The Holy Prophet’s soul travelled this journey spiritually. Physically, he travelled sometimes on Buraq and other times through the different souls. This unique journey happened physically and spiritually at the same time. Jibrail refused to go any further than the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary because Allah created him in the realm of power. This is his beginning and end level. It is impossible for anyone except the Universal Divine Man to endure the intensity of the manifestations of the Divine closeness beyond this. Therefore, Jibrail sought permission from the Prophet to leave, saying, “For each of us there is a fixed and known place beyond which he cannot go.”
Thus, the Holy Prophet transcended all things on his journey of ascension, passing through every physical and spiritual station to reach Divine closeness. He did not focus on anything outward or inward because if someone gets lost in the surroundings during travel, he will face difficulty in reaching the destination.
Allah says:
His eye neither inclined aside nor overstepped the limit. Al Quran (53:17)
Ibn Arabi says:
The miracle of ascension is that its perfection brings man closest to Allah regarding which the Holy Prophet said that he heard a voice “Come closer” and so I came closer.
This closeness is beyond distance and travel, for ‘distance’ and travel belong to the creation. In the realm of Divinity, where existence is One, what meaning do distance and travel hold? Yet, the command to ‘come even closer’ signifies that in the union of Essence and Attributes, the servant and Hoo attain an even greater and limitless perfection. Allah says, “Then He drew closer and then drew even closer.” (53:8) means that the Holy Prophet reached the level of Qaba Qosain (The measure of two bows’ length, a very short distance, extreme closeness). The Holy Prophet’s state of closeness can be described as a realm beyond space, motion, time, and the created world stretching from the Throne to the earth.
Upon reaching the distance smaller than Qaba Qosain, Allah said to the Prophet, ‘Come closer.’ Meaning the Prophet’s union is so profound that Allah does not tolerate the slightest distance and is never satisfied with his closeness. The Holy Prophet said “My Lord! There is no space to go forward, backward, up or down so where do I step?”
Allah answered
“Step on my step so that everyone may know that I am beyond the limitations of time, space, day and night, right and left, and measurements. I cannot be confined in bodies, nor can I be contained in idols or houses. To reach Me, a human must free themselves from the limits of time, space, directions, and measurements. Otherwise, finding Me is impossible. Yet, man still does not find Me or reach Me. Rather, I manifest within them, embrace them, and grant them My closeness. Man does not have the nerve to attain Me. He is limited I am limitless. I do not annihilate in him, he annihilates in Me. When man’s hands, feet, tongue, and body become solely devoted to Me (when all their actions, states, and deeds are for Allah alone) I grant them the state of annihilation and manifest Myself within them.
The miracle of ascension is that when a person turns away from all creation and frees their heart from everything except Allah, they reach the ultimate heights of His closeness. At the peak of Divine closeness, when Allah asked the Prophet, ‘What gift should be presented to you?’ the Prophet requested ascension for his Umma. In response, Allah granted the gift of ascension in the form of prayer (salah). That is why the Prophet (PBUH) described prayer as ascension, saying:
- Prayer (salah) is a believer’s ascension
Because prayer (salah) is a source of communication between man and Allah. A connection in which physical senses detach and spiritual senses take over. The person rises above everything, becoming absorbed in the vision of Allah because the believer’s ascension is purely spiritual.
Allah said to Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani:
O Ghawth al-Azam! One who does not exalt to Miraj, his salat is not accepted. He is deprived of salat. (ar-Risala tul-Ghausia)
Someone asked Halaf Ibn Ayub, “Does a fly not disturb you in prayer that you would swat it away?” He replied, “I do not want to make my prayer accustomed to anything that could invalidate it.” The questioner then asked, “How do you endure it so patiently?” He replied, “I have heard that sinners and criminals do not utter a word of complaint when facing the king’s whips. So how could I be disturbed by a fly while standing before my Lord?”
It is well known about Muslim Ibn Yasar that when he stood for prayer, he would tell his family, “Speak among yourselves, for I will not hear a single word of your conversation.” Another story about him states that while he was praying in the city’s grand masjid, a part of the masjid collapsed. People gathered on hearing the noise, but his prayer remained unaffected. Only after finishing his prayer, he realized what had happened.
An elder’s limb was burnt. Doctors advised to cut the limb off but the pain was too much for him. Someone said that he becomes completely oblivious of everything during prayer. Therefore, cut the limb while he is praying. Previous incidents of the elder showed that he had such humility and submissiveness in prayer that during prayer, he would become oblivious of the world and its affairs.
How to Gain Prayer of Ascension
Thus, it is the prayer of such people that is the prayer of ascension, where their connection with creation was severed, and they became entirely attached to Allah. No Muslim’s prayer becomes ascension until he or she becomes a believer. And to become a true believer, it is necessary to adopt the path of Faqr to gain Divine gnosis and recognition. And it is necessary to ignite the flame of Divine love in the heart, because Faqr is the means of Divine recognition and vision. Only when one attains Divine vision does prayer become ascension; otherwise, it remains filled with distractions and doubts.
This era’s reviver of Islam and perfect spiritual guide, Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen, has made the beneficence of Faqr available to all. He invites all people to visit Khanqah Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen and gain invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat from him so they may gain Divine recognition and complete their journey of spiritual ascension.
Questions:
Q1. What is meant by Ascension of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)?
Ans. This is the infinite union of lover and beloved, which those with limited intellect and Divine closeness can never describe. Ascension in Arabic is Miraj(معراج). Miraj comes from the Arabic word Araj(عَرَجَ) which means to ascend or elevate. The meaning of Miraj is a place of elevation or height, a ladder, a staircase. Miraj is the journey of the Holy Prophet in which he ascended to Allah, transcending the universe’s limits. He reached the heights of the heavens, attaining a level of Divine closeness no one has or will attain.
Q2. Was the Prophet (PBUH)'s Ascension physical or spiritual?
Ans. The Holy Prophet’s soul travelled this journey spiritually. Physically, he travelled sometimes on Buraq and other times through the different souls. This unique journey happened physically and spiritually at the same time.